As we move toward a more socially conscious world, more and more people are looking for ways to shop small, support artists, and be more intentional with where their money goes. Supporting small artists and businesses is more than just buying something cute. It helps real people keep creating, pay bills, grow their work, and keep making art. It doesn't always have to be monetary either, it can be something as simple as writing a comment (with actual words, not just emojis) or sharing a post with your thoughts. Every bit counts and it all adds up! So, without further adieu ere are some real ways to support small creators, artists, and businesses.

1. Money speaks

   For obvious reasons, money speaks— Our fans help us keep making content, making new products, and the list goes on. There have been times where a single commission helped me groceries for the month. When you buy from a small artist or business, you are not just purchasing an item. You are supporting someone’s time, skill, labor, and ability to keep creating. Our artwork, handmade products, custom pieces, digital downloads, merch, services, keeps us going.

   
   

2. Don’t Haggle

   I cannot stress this enough!!!

   
   

   Please do not haggle with artists, makers, or small business owners. We spend literal hours making a lot of these products. And even when something does not take hours to physically make, you are still paying for years of experience, practice, learning, materials, tools, and creative labor. It is insulting to ask an artisan to lower their prices just because you personally do not want to pay that amount. We are not massive factories underpaying labor here. We are real people trying to price our work in a way that is fair, sustainable, and respectful of the time it takes to make something.

   
   

3. Be patient with potential delays

   We are not Amazon. Case closed. No, but really, in such a fast-paced world, I understand the sense of urgency and I get that we want that extra dopamine boost right away. But it’s really unfair for creators. I’ve had folks demand I complete a product in a couple of days and that’s just not possible. If I have to move things around, or worse, lose sleep over getting my work done, I want to be compensated for that time. Plus, I want to make sure you get a product that you are happy so there might be a lot of back and forth involved. Realistically, custom-made work isn’t going to be made right away. There’s preparations that need to be made. Moreover, once I send it through USPS or FedEx, it’s out of my control for when it gets to you.

   
   

4. Write Recommendations on Google, Facebook, or their Website

   You don’t understand how important this is to me and all the other small business owners— If you love our products, tell the world. Not everyone gets to see our products in real life and many people rely on reviews to know that we are legit. Take time to write out an honest review, and this costs $0 and maybe 5 minutes of your time. We build trust with our clients this way. It’s imperative that you do this! And the great thing about this is that you only have to do this once :)

   
   

5. Like and comment on their posts… but make sure to comment more than 3 words

   Look, click that notification bell. Take a few minutes to scroll, like posts, save things to your collections, and leave comments. Unfortunately, social media algorithms do not work in our favor. And when someone only comments emojis or “nice!” some platforms may read that as low-effort engagement or even bot-like behavior. So if you are going to comment, try to say something with a little more substance. It does not have to be an essay. Something like:

   
   

   • “I love the colors in this piece.”

   • “This design is so cool.”

   • “The details in this are beautiful.”

   • “I would totally wear this.”

     
     

   The more real engagement we get, the more visibility we get. Every comment really does help.

   
   

6. Share their posts

   Going along with the previous point, sharing posts is also incredibly helpful. If you like something, share it. If a piece makes you think of a friend, send it to them. If you want to write a little note about how cool we are, please do. That is so sweet, and it genuinely helps. Sharing builds credibility, brings more visibility, and helps small businesses reach people we may never have found on our own.

   
   

7. Invite friends to like the page

   If you know someone who might enjoy our content as much as you do, invite them. It seems small, but it helps us grow our audience and find people who are actually interested in what we make. Word of mouth is king-- as they say in business circles!

8. Sign up for their Newsletters

   Look, I know you might hate newsletters because a lot of them just push products nonstop. But not all of us are like that. Sometimes we just want to let you in behind the scenes, share sweet news, announce new projects, or give you first access to something we are working on. (Like my newsletter!) Give it a try for a couple of months. You might actually enjoy the type of content we create. And honestly, newsletters are one of the few ways creators can stay connected with people without having to depend completely on social media algorithms.

   
   

9. Consume their content

   Does your favorite small business have a blog? YouTube channel? Newsletter? Podcast? Website?

   
   

   Watch it. Read it. Share it. Interact with it.

   
   

   Consuming our content can actually help us financially. For example, I’m currently trying to monetize my YouTube channel and I have monetized my website. I know ads can be frustrating, and trust me, if I did not have to include them on my site, I probably wouldn’t. But I need to make us a couple of cents here and there. And those little cents add up over time.

   
   

10. Come to our events and bring friends!

    If your favorite artist, creator, or small business is hosting an event, tabling at a market, performing at a gig, teaching a class, or doing something out in the real world, try to go. Bring a friend. Make it a family outing. Turn it into a hangout. Even if you do not buy something every time, your presence still means a lot. It makes the event feel alive, helps boost morale, and shows other people that this creator or business is worth checking out.

    
    

Supporting small artists and businesses does not always have to mean spending money.

Of course, buying something helps. A lot. But so does writing a review, sharing a post, signing up for a newsletter, watching a video, commenting something thoughtful, inviting a friend, or showing up to an event. Small businesses are built through community.

So if you love someone’s work, don’t keep it a secret.